Portable hearing-related analysis system

ABSTRACT

An improved hearing-related analysis programming system with a host computer for providing at least one hearing aid program and having at least one personal computer memory card international association (PCMCIA) defined port in combination with a PCMCIA Card inserted in the port and arranged for interacting with the host computer for controlling hearing-related analysis or programming of a hearing aid. The host computer provides power and ground to the PCMCIA Card and provides for downloading the hearing aid programming software to the PCMCIA Card upon initialization. A microprocessor on the PCMCIA Card executes hearing-related analysis or the programming software. A hearing aid interface for adjusting voltage levels and impedance levels is adapted for coupling signals to the hearing aid being programmed. Systems for performing hearing-related analysis include a portable audiometer system on a PCMCIA Card and operable with a portable host computer to analyze hearing of a patient, and a real-ear system on a PCMCIA Card and operable with a portable host computer to analyze output from a hearing aid in a patient&#39;s ear.

RELATE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/782,328, filed on Jan. 13, 1997, andU.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/896,494, filed on Jul. 18, 1997, arehereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to a portable hearing analysis systemfor use analyzing hearing-related conditions and for programmingprogrammable hearing aids. More particularly, it relates to a plug-inportable hearing-related analysis system utilizing a portable hostcomputer in conjunction with a plug-in hearing-related analysis Cardthat operate with a well-defined port.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Hearing aids have been developed to ameliorate the effects of hearinglosses in individuals. Hearing deficiencies can range from deafness tohearing losses where the individual has impairment of responding todifferent frequencies of sound or to being able to differentiate soundsoccurring simultaneously. The hearing aid in its most elementary formusually provides for auditory correction through the amplification andfiltering of sound provided in the environment with the intent that theindividual can hear better than without the amplification.

Prior art hearing aids offering adjustable operational parameters tooptimize hearing and comfort to the user have been developed.Parameters, such as volume or tone, may easily be adjusted, and manyhearing aids allow for the individual user to adjust these parameters.It is usual that an individual's hearing loss is not uniform over theentire frequency spectrum of audible sound. An individual's hearing lossmay be greater at higher frequency ranges than at lower frequencies.Recognizing these differentiations in hearing loss considerationsbetween individuals, it has become common for a hearing healthprofessional to make measurements that will indicate the type ofcorrection or assistance that will be the most beneficial to improvethat individual's hearing capability. A variety of measurements may betaken, which can include establishing speech recognition scores, ormeasurement of the individual's perceptive ability for differing soundfrequencies and differing sound amplitudes. The resulting score data oramplitude/frequency response can be provided in tabular form orgraphically represented, such that the individual's hearing loss may becompared to what would be considered a more normal hearing response. Toassist in improving the hearing of individuals, it has been founddesirable to provide adjustable hearing aids wherein filteringparameters may be adjusted, and automatic gain control (AGC) parametersare adjustable.

Various systems for measuring auditory responses are known, and priorart audiometer systems characteristically are embodied in relativelylarge stand-alone units. Such hearing analyzing systems are referred toas audiometers, and usually provide for application of selected tones,broad-band noise, and narrow-band noise variable in frequency andamplitude, respectively, to aid in determining the amount of hearingloss a person may have. To assess hearing thresholds for speech, anaudiometer may also reproduce live voice or recorded speech atselectable calibrated levels. Various complex controls are used toadminister varying sound conditions to determine a range of responsesfor the individual. These responses can be charted or graphed, and canserve as the basis for applying programming signals to programmablehearing aids. Size and complexity result in prior art audiometers beingprimarily useful only in facilities primarily dedicated to hearing care.Further, there is usually a requirement that hearing response parametersdetermined through use of prior art audiometers be manually entered intohearing aid programming devices. Portable audiometers that can be usedin conjunction with a portable hearing aid programming system are notavailable in the prior art.

The prior art audiometers usually include a separate housing, individualcontrols of various sound sources, and a separate power supply operatingfrom its power cord or power source.

With the development of micro-electronics and microprocessors,programmable hearing aids have become well-known. It is known forprogrammable hearing aids to have a digital control section which storesauditory parameters and which controls aspects of signal processingcharacteristics. Such programmable hearing aids also have a signalprocessing section, which may be analog or digital, and which operatesunder control of the control section to perform the signal processing oramplification to meet the needs of the individual.

Hearing aid programming systems have characteristically fallen into twocategories: (a) programming systems that are utilized at themanufacturer's plant or distribution center, or (b) programming systemsthat are utilized at the point of dispensing the hearing aid.

One type of programming system for programming hearing aids are thestand-alone programmers that are self-contained and are designed toprovide the designed programming capabilities. Stand-alone programmersare available commercially from various sources. It is apparent thatstand-alone programmers are custom designed to provide the programmingfunctions known at the time. Stand-alone programmers tend to beinflexible and difficult to update and modify, thereby raising the costto stay current. Further, such stand-alone programmers are normallydesigned for handling a limited number of hearing aid types and lackversatility. Should there be an error in the system that provides theprogramming, such stand-alone systems tend to be difficult to repair orupgrade.

Another type of programming system is one in which the programmer isconnected to other computing equipment, and are available commercially.

A system where multiple programming units are connected via telephonelines to a central computer is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,086 toJ. C. Platt. Another example of a programming system that allowsinterchangeable programming systems driven by a personal computer isdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,674 to W. Meyer et al. Other U.S.patents that suggest the use of some form of computing device coupled toan external hearing aid programming device are U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,481to Mansgold et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,086 to Platt; U.S. Pat. No.5,083,312 to Newton et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,432 to Totholm.Programming systems that are cable-coupled or otherwise coupled tosupporting computing equipment tend to be relatively expensive in thatsuch programming equipment must have its own power supply, power cord,housing, and circuitry, thereby making the hearing aid programmer largeand not as readily transportable as is desirable.

Yet another type of hearing aid programmer available in the prior art isa programmer that is designed to install into and become part of alarger computing system. Hearing aid programmers of the type that pluginto larger computers are generally designed to be compatible with theexpansion ports on a specific computer. Past systems have generally beendesigned to plug into the bus structure known as the Industry StandardArchitecture (ISA) which has primarily found application in computersavailable from IBM. The ISA expansion bus is not available on manypresent-day hand-held or lap top computers. Further, plugging cards intoavailable ISA expansion ports requires opening the computer cabinet andappropriately installing the expansion card.

When programming is applied to programmable hearing aids, it isdesirable to be able to sample the effectiveness of the programming atthe ear of the wearer. To this end, another hearing-related system,referred to as so-called “real-ear” systems, have been employed tosample the output of a programmed hearing aid when in place on the user.Probe microphones are utilized to pick up the output of the hearing aidlocated in a user's ear, and to provide an output signal that can becompared to a target insertion gain curve for the user. Normally thisrequires output readings to be taken and then entered manually into theprogramming device to compare actual responses to predicted responses.The real-ear system automatically calculates and displays the targetinsertion gain curve from audiometric data that is either enteredmanually or by computer-to-computer transfer. This interaction of areal-ear system with a programming device generally includes delay andrequires manual introduction to provide input that can be used to adjustthe hearing aid programming.

Some prior art real-ear systems are very complex. For example, U.S. Pat.No. 5,645,074 to Shennib et al. describes a system for providing athree-dimensional acoustic environment to evaluate unaided, simulatedaided, and aided hearing function of an individual. A part of theevaluation involves an intra-canal prosthesis that is positioned in theear canal, and incorporates a microphone probe to measurein-the-ear-canal response at a selected reference point. This system forreal-ear analysis is relatively complex, is expensive, is intended foruse in providing a multidimensional profile of the ear function, and isnot easily transportable. It is designed to work with a personalcomputer system via the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) businterface, so it is subject to interconnection concerns described above.

The prior art does not provide a hearing-related analyzer that operateswith a hand-held computer to provide an interactive hearing aidprogramming system. Further, the prior art systems tend to be relativelymore expensive, and are not designed to allow easy modification orenhancement of the programming software, the hearing-related analysissystem software, or the various controlled programming or responseparameters, while maintaining simplicity of operation, portability, andinteractive functionality.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary objective of the invention is to provide an improved portablehearing-related analysis system for use with a system programminghearing aids, that utilizes a host computer having a pair ofstandardized ports, with a hearing aid programming card used with one ofthe pair of standardized ports and a hearing-related analyzer card usedwith the other of the pair of standardized ports. Hearing parameters ofa user read by the audiometer can be provided to the host computer to beused in setting controls for use by the hearing aid programming card toprogram or adjust the programming of the hearing aids of the user. Theoutput of a programmed hearing aid can be analyzed by a real-earhearing-related analyzer in response to applied stimuli, and used by thehost computer to adjust the programming that is applied to aprogrammable hearing aid.

A further primary objective of the invention in providing a small,highly transportable, inexpensive, and versatile system for analyzing auser's hearing-related responses, including measuring a user's hearingloss and measuring a real-ear hearing aid output, and programminghearing aids is accomplished through the use of host computer means forproviding at least one hearing aid program, where the host computermeans includes a first uniformly specified expansion port for providingpower circuits, data circuits, and control circuits, and a pluggableprogrammer card means coupled to the first port for interacting with thehost computer means for controlling programming of at least one hearingaid, the programming system including coupling means for coupling thecard means to at least one hearing aid to be programmed. A seconduniformly specified expansion port for providing power circuits, datacircuits, and control circuits and a pluggable analyzer card meanscoupled to the second port for analyzing hearing-related response of auser and providing hearing parameters to the host computer means for usein controlling programming.

Another primary objective of the invention is to utilize a standardizedspecification defining the port architecture for a host computer,wherein a hearing-related analysis system or a hearing aid programmingsystem can utilize any host computer that incorporates the standardizedport architecture. In this regard, the personal computer memory cardinternational association (PCMCIA) specification for the port technologyallows the host computer to be selected from lap top computers, notebookcomputers, or hand-held computers where such PCMCIA ports are availableand supported. With the present invention, it is no longer needed toprovide general purpose computers, either at the location of the hearinghealth professional, or at the factory or distribution center of themanufacturer of the hearing aids to support the hearing-related analysissystem or the programming function.

Another objective of the invention is to provide a highly portablesystem for programming hearing aids to thereby allow ease of usage byhearing health professionals at the point of distribution of hearingaids to individuals requiring hearing aid support. To this end, thehearing-related analysis circuitry end programming circuitry arefabricated on a Card that is pluggable to a PCMCIA socket in the hostcomputer and is operable from the power supplied by the host computer.The hearing-related analyzing circuitry can be fabricated on one or moreCards that are pluggable to associated PCMCIA sockets in the hostcomputer and being operable from power and software provided by the hostcomputer.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved hearingaid programming system that utilizes standardized drivers within thehost computer. In this aspect of the invention, the PCMCIA card meansincludes a card information structure (CIS) that advises the hostcomputer of the identification and configuration requirements of theprogramming circuits on the card. In one embodiment, the CIS identifiesthe PCMCIA Card as a serial port such that standardized serial portdrivers in the host computer can service the PCMCIA Card. In anotherembodiment, the CIS identifies the PCMCIA Card as a unique type ofhearing aid programmer Card such that the host computer would utilizedrivers supplied specifically for use with that Card. In anotherembodiment, the CIS identifies the PCMCIA Card as a hearing-relatedanalyzer Card, thereby indicating to the host computer that such Carddrivers will be utilized. Through the use of the standardized PCMCIAarchitecture and drivers, PCMCIA Cards for hearing aid programming andhearing-related analysis can be utilized with any host computer that isadapted to support the PCMCIA architecture.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a hearing aidprogramming system that can be readily programmed and in which thecontrolling programming software and the controlling selectable hearingparameters can be easily modified to correct errors or adjust fordifferent conditions. In one aspect of the invention, the programmingsoftware for hearing aid programming is stored in the memory of a hostcomputer and is available for ease of modification or debugging on thehost computer. Similarly, programming software for the hearing-relatedanalyzer is stored in the memory of the host computer and can bemodified or debugged.

Another objective of the invention is to provide an improved systemwherein the hearing aid programming circuitry and the hearing-relatedanalyzer circuitry are each mounted on Cards that meet the physicaldesign specifications provided by PCMCIA. To this end, each Card isfabricated to the specifications of either a Type I Card, a Type IICard, or a Type III Card depending upon the physical size constraints ofthe components utilized. The dimensions that are not part of the PCMCIAspecification, for example, the length of the Card, can be adjusted tomount the necessary complement of components.

A further objective of this invention is to provide a portablehearing-related analyzer that can be readily coupled to a PCMCIA cardfor controlled interaction with a host computer.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a portablehearing-related analyzer system that can operate via a PCMCIA Card sloton a host computer to measure hearing responses of a patient in anaudiometer function or to measure the output of an in-lace hearing aidin a real-ear function.

In one configuration, the audiometer comprises an audiometer capable ofproviding selectable variable sound sources to be applied to a patientwhose hearing is being tested. The audiometer is controlled and poweredby an associated host computer that functions to control operation ofthe audiometer by downloading control functions in response toselections entered in the host computer by the hearing careprofessional.

In a second configuration, the audiometer comprises a real-ear systemthat functions to monitor hearing aid output in the ear of the patientin response to various stimulus conditions selected by the hearing careprofessional, and to provide response parameters that can be compared toa predicted response utilized for initial programming of the patient'shearing aid(s).

In all configurations, there can be a variety of performance levels. Inone level of performance, results of the various hearing-relatedanalyzer configurations are manually recorded, or are provided toon-line recording apparatus. Following recording, the hearing careprofessional makes appropriate entry in the host computer to cause thehearing aid programmer to adjust the patient's hearing aid(s) to reflectthe analysis. In a more interactive level of performance, the signalsresulting from the hearing-related analysis are automatically fed backto the host computer, and are used by the programming software toprovide changes in the hearing aid programming. Those changes can eitherbe automatically and interactively provided to the hearing aidprogramming, or can be displayed to the hearing aid professional. Whenso displayed, the hearing aid professional can assess the monitoredparameters and make judgments as to the most effective changes oradjustments that should be selected for optimizing the patient's hearingenhancements.

These and other more detailed and specific objectives and anunderstanding of the invention will become apparent from a considerationof the following Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment inview of the Drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of an improved hearing-related analyzer andhearing aid programming system of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a Type I plug-in Card;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a Type II plug-in Card;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a Type III plug-in Card;

FIG. 5 is a diagram representing the PCMCIA architecture;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the functional interrelationshipof a host computer and the Card used for programming hearing aids;

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of the hearing aid programmingCard;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating the functional relationship ofthe host computer, the Card used to program hearing aids, and anaudiometer Card used to analyze a patient's hearing responses;

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram illustrating selective control andfunctional performance of an audiometer that functions as an audiometer;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a PCMCIA audiometer Card;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating the functional relationship ofthe host computer, the Card used to program hearing aids, and a real-earCard used to analyze performance of a hearing aid in a patient's ear;

FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram illustrating selective control andfunctional performance of a real-ear hearing-related analyzer;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a PCMCIA real-ear Card;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of PCMCIA Card including a hearing-relatedanalyzer having selectable audiometer and real-ear functions;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of a portable hearing-related analyzer PCMCIACard; and

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a portable hearing aid analyzercable-connected to an associated PCMCIA interface Card.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

It is generally known that a person's hearing loss is not normallyuniform over the entire frequency spectrum of hearing. For example, intypical noise-induced hearing loss, that the hearing loss is greater athigher frequencies than at lower frequencies. The degree of hearing lossat various frequencies varies with individuals. The measurement of anindividual's hearing ability can be illustrated by an audiogram. Anaudiologist, or other hearing health professionals, will measure anindividual's perceptive ability for differing sound frequencies anddiffering sound amplitudes. A plot of the resulting information in anamplitude/frequency diagram will graphically represent the individual'shearing ability, and will thereby represent the individual's hearingloss as compared to an established range of normal hearing forindividuals. In this regard, the audiogram represents graphically theparticular auditory characteristics of the individual. Other types ofmeasurements relating to hearing deficiencies may be made. For example,speech recognition scores can be utilized. It is understood that theauditory characteristics of an individual or other measured hearingresponses may be represented by data that can be represented in varioustabular forms as well as in the graphical representation.

Basically a hearing aid consists of a sound actuatable microphone forconverting environmental sounds into an electrical signal. Theelectrical signal is supplied to an amplifier for providing an amplifiedoutput signal. The amplified output signal is applied to a receiver thatacts as a loudspeaker for converting the amplified electrical signalinto sound that is transmitted to the individual's ear. The variouskinds of hearing aids can be configured to be “completely in the canal”known as the CIC type of hearing aid. Hearing aids can also be embodiedin configurations such as “in the ear”, “in the canal”, “behind theear”, embodied in an eyeglass frame, worn on the body, and surgicallyimplanted. Each of the various types of hearing aids have differingfunctional and aesthetic characteristics. Further, hearing aids can beprogrammed through analog parametric adjustments or through digitalprograms.

Since individuals have differing hearing abilities with respect to eachother, and oftentimes have differing hearing abilities between the rightand left ears, it is normal to have some form of adjustment tocompensate for the characteristics of the hearing of the individual. Ithas been known to provide an adjustable filter for use in conjunctionwith the amplifier for modifying the amplifying characteristics of thehearing aid. Various forms of physical adjustment for adjusting variableresistors or capacitors have been used. With the advent ofmicrocircuitry, the ability to program hearing aids has becomewell-known. A programmable hearing aid typically has a digital controlsection and a signal processing section. The digital control section isadapted to store an auditory parameter, or a set of auditory parameters,which will control an aspect or set of aspects of the amplifyingcharacteristics, or other characteristics, of the hearing aid. Thesignal processing section of the hearing aid then will operate inresponse to the control section to perform the actual signal processing,or amplification, it being understood that the signal processing may bedigital or analog.

Numerous types of programmable hearing aids are known. As such, detailsof the specifics of programming functions will not be described indetail. To accomplish the programming, it has been known to have varioustypes of programming systems that are complex, expensive, specialized infunctionality, and not portable. Examples have been cited above, andspecific examples are discussed in the cross-referenced patentapplications. Such prior art programming systems will not be describedin detail. To program hearing aids, it is generally necessary for thehearing professional to enter the audiogram or other patient-relatedhearing information into a computer. If properly programmed, this allowsthe computer to calculate the auditory parameters that will be optimalfor the predetermined listening situations for the individual. Thecomputer can then participate in the programming of the hearing aid invarious ways. Prior art systems that use specific programming systemsand hard-wired interrelationship to the host computer are costly and donot lend themselves to ease of altering the programming functions, andsuffer from many of the problems of cost, lack of ease of usage, lack offlexibility in reprogramming, and the like.

As noted above, it is necessary to determine various hearing parametersfor each patient, and to enter these audiogram parameters into the hostcomputer. Prior art systems use separate, free-standing, expensive, andnot very portable audiometers to provide controlled sound signals toanalyze the patient's hearing responses. Similarly, prior art real-earsystems use separate, free-standing, expensive, and not very portableanalyzers to evaluate hearing aid performance in a patient's ear(s).

The system and method of analyzing hearing responses and hearing aidperformance, and programming hearing aids of the present inventionprovides a mechanism where all of the hearing analysis and hearing aidprogramming system can be economically located at the office of eachhearing health professional, thereby overcoming many of the describeddeficiencies of prior art programming systems.

A group of commercially available computing devices, including lap topcomputers, notebook computers, hand-held computers, such as the MessagePad 2000, and the like, which can collectively be referenced as hostcomputers, are adapted to support the Personal Computer Memory CardInternational Association Technology, and which is generally referred toas PCMCIA. In general, PCMCIA provides one or more standardized ports inthe host computer where such ports are arranged to cooperate withassociated PCMCIA PC Cards, hereinafter referred to as “Cards”. TheCards are utilized to provide various functions, and the functionalityof PCMCIA will be described in more detail below. The PCMCIAspecification defines a standard for integrated circuit Cards to be usedto promote interchangeability among a variety of computer and electronicproducts. Attention is given to low cost, ruggedness, low powerconsumption, light weight, and portability of operation.

The specific size of the various configurations of Cards will bedescribed in more detail below, but in general, it is understood that itwill be comparable in size to credit cards, thereby achieving the goalof ease of handling. Other goals of PCMCIA technology can be simplystated to require that (1) it must be simple to configure, and supportmultiple peripheral devices; (2) it must be hardware and operatingenvironment independent; (3) installation must be flexible; and (4) itmust be inexpensive to support the various peripheral devices. Thesegoals and objectives of PCMCIA specification requirements and availabletechnology are consistent with the goals of this invention of providingan improved highly portable, inexpensive, adaptable hearing-relatedanalysis and hearing aid programming system. The PCMCIA technology isexpanding into personal computers and work stations, and it isunderstood that where such capability is present, the attributes of thisinvention are applicable. Various aspects of PCMCIA will be describedbelow at points to render the description meaningful to the invention.

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of an improved hearing-related analyzer andhearing aid programming system of this invention. This illustrates theinteraction of a hearing-related analyzer that can perform audiometerfunctions and real-ear analysis in conjunction with a host computer anda hearing aid programming system. A PCMCIA audiometer 2 has input andoutput signals provided through jack 3. An audiometer function isperformed by the PCMCIA audiometer 2 providing selected audio signals online 4 to audio output 5. As will be described below, for audiometeroutput, audio output 5 can be a set of soundfield speakers. Further, foraudiometer operation, the audio output can also be a bone vibrator. Forthose audiometer functions where it is desired to apply selectedcontrolled audio signals more directly to the individual patient's ears,signals are provided on line 6 and on line 6A for the left earillustrated as the L output 7. Similarly, the signals for the right earare provided on line 6B to the R output 8. For signals applied directlyto the patient's ears, as will be described in more detail below, the Loutput and R output can be air conduction headphones, or can be focusedsoundfield speakers.

The PCMCIA audiometer 2 normally provides the selected audio signals,but external signals can be applied from the external input 9 via line10 into jack 3. These external input signals can be a prerecorded voice,selected signals, music, or the like, and will be selected by thehearing care professional for analysis of specific response conditions.

The hearing care professional can monitor the various selected soundsignals to be applied to the patient through use of a headset 11 that iscoupled via line 12 to jack 3.

A real-ear hearing-related analyzer involves the use of a probemicrophone, as will be described in more detail below, inserted in theear of the patient along with the patient's hearing aid. The real-earsystem provides controlled audio output signals on line 4 to the audiooutput 5 and the patient's hearing aid responds to the sound stimuli asprogrammed. The probe microphone provides an electroacoustic measurementinput 13 on line 14 to jack 3. In this manner, the real-ear analyzer cancompare the measured response at the patient's hearing aid to thepredicted response. The real-ear output signal is compared to a targetinsertion gain curve. The real-ear system calculates the targetinsertion gain curve from audiometric data in the system. Such data canbe manually entered or entered through computer transfer. This responsefrom the patient can be used in adjusting the programming parameters forthe hearing aid programming system, thereby providing interactiveprogramming or fine-tuning of the hearing aid(s).

The input provided from the real-ear system can also be recorded by arecording device such as printer 15 which is coupled via line 16 to thejack 3. In this manner, there is a record of the input and response forthe real-ear analysis of the patient's hearing aid performance. Asindicated, the various configurations of the PCMCIA audiometer Card 2will be described in conjunction with its interrelationship to hostcomputer 20.

Various types of host computers 20 are available commercially fromvarious manufacturers, including, but not limited to, InternationalBusiness Machines and Apple Computer, Inc. A particularly advantageoustype of host computer is the hand-held computer 20 such as the MessagePad 2000, or equivalent available from commercially. The hand-held host20 includes a body portion 22, a screen portion 24, a set of controls 26and a stylus 28. The stylus 28 operates as a means for providinginformation to the hand-held host computer 20 by interaction with screen24. A pair of PCMCIA ports 32 and 34 are illustrated aligned along oneside 36 of the hand-held host computer 20. While two PCMCIA ports areshown, it should be understood that more PCMCIA ports may be utilized,usually in pairs. Further, it will be understood that it is possible forthe PCMCIA ports to be position in parallel and adjacent to one anotheras distinguished from the linear position illustrated. The PCMCIA ports32 and 34 each operate pursuant to the PCMCIA standard, and anydescription of PCMCIA functionality of one port applies to the other.

A PCMCIA Card 40 has a first end 42 in which a number of contacts 44 aremounted. In the standard, the contacts 44 are arranged in two parallelrows and number sixty-eight contacts. The outer end 60 has a connector(not shown in this figure) to cooperate with mating connector 62. Thisinterconnection provide signals to and from hearing aids 64 and 66 viacable 68 which splits into cable ends 70 and 72.

Cable portion 70 has connector 74 affixed thereto and adapted forcooperation with jack 76 in hearing aid 64. Similarly, cable 72 hasconnector 78 that is adapted for cooperation with jack 80 in hearing aid66. This configuration allows for programming of hearing aid 64 and 66in the ears of the individual to use them, it being understood that thecable interconnection may alternatively be a single cable for a singlehearing aid or two separate cables with two separations to the Card 40.The communication of hearing aid programs can alternate by way ofwireless transmission (not shown), which can be selected from infrared,radio frequency transmission systems. It is necessary only to adjust thetype of transmitter to the receiver type in the hearing aids to beprogrammed.

It is apparent that Card 40 and the various components are not shown inscale with one another, and that the dashed lines represent directionsof interconnection. To install the hearing aid programming system, Card40 is moved in the direction of dashed lines 84 for insertion in PCMCIAslot 32 in host 20. Connector 62 can be moved along dashed line 86 formating with the connector (not shown) at end 60 of card 40. Connector 74can be moved along line 88 for contacting jack 76, and connector 78 canbe moved along dashed line 90 for contacting jack 80. There are threestandardized configurations of Card 40, plus nonstandard forms that willbe described further below.

PCMCIA audiometer Card 2 is inserted in PCMCIA slot 34, and interactswith control, analyzer software, and PCMCIA requirements of host 20.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a Type I plug-in Card. The physicalconfigurations and requirements of the various Card types are specifiedin the PCMCIA specification to assure portability and consistency ofoperation. Type I Card 40I has a width W1 of 54 millimeters and athickness T1 of 3.3 millimeters. Other elements illustrated bear thesame reference numerals as in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a Type II plug-in Card. Card 40II has awidth W2 of 54 millimeters and has a raised portion 100. With the raisedportion, the thickness T2 is 5.0 millimeters. The width W3 of raisedportion 100 is 48 millimeters. The purpose of raised portion 100 is toprovide room for circuitry to be mounted on the surface 102 of card40II.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a Type III plug-in Card. Card 40III hasa width W4 of 54 millimeters, and an overall thickness T3 of 10.5millimeters. Raised portion 104 has a width W5 of 51 millimeters, andwith the additional depth above the upper surface 106 allows for evenlarger components to be mounted.

Type II Cards are the most prevalent in usage, and allow for the mostflexibility in use in pairs with stacked PCMCIA ports.

The PCMCIA slot includes two rows of 34 pins each. The connector on theCard is adapted to cooperate with these pins. There are three groupingsof pins that vary in length. This results in a sequence of operation asthe Card is inserted into the slot. The longest pins make contact first,the intermediate length pins make contact second, and the shortest pinsmake contact last. The sequencing of pin lengths allow the host systemto properly sequence application of power and ground to the Card. It isnot necessary for an understanding of the invention to consider thesequencing in detail, it being automatically handled as the Card isinserted. Functionally, the shortest pins are the card detect pins andare responsible for routing signals that inform software running on thehost of the insertion or removal of a Card. The shortest pins result inthis operation occurring last, and functions only after the Card hasbeen fully inserted. It is not necessary for an understanding of theinvention that each pin and its function be considered in detail, itbeing understood that power and ground is provided from the host to theCard.

FIG. 5 is a diagram representing the PCMCIA architecture. The PCMCIAarchitecture is well-defined and is substantially available on any hostcomputer that is adapted to support the PCMCIA architecture. Forpurposes of understanding the invention, it is not necessary that theintricate details of the PCMCIA architecture be defined herein, sincethey are substantially available in the commercial marketplace. It is,however, desirable to understand some basic fundamentals of the PCMCIAarchitecture in order to appreciate the operation of the invention.

In general terms, the PCMCIA architecture defines various interfaces andservices that allow application software to configure Card resourcesinto the system for use by system-level utilities and applications. ThePCMCIA hardware and related PCMCIA handlers within the system functionas enabling technologies for the Card.

Resources that are capable of being configured or mapped from the PCMCIAbus to the system bus are memory configurations, input/output (I/O)ranges and Interrupt Request Lines (IRQs). Details concerning the PCMCIAarchitecture can be derived from the specification available from PCMCIACommittee, as well as various vendors that supply PCMCIA components orsoftware commercially.

The PCMCIA architecture involves a consideration of hardware 200 andlayers of software 202. Within the hardware consideration, Card 204 iscoupled to PCMCIA socket 206 and Card 208 is coupled to PCMCIA socket210. Sockets 206 and 210 are coupled to the PCMCIA bus 212 which in turnis coupled to the PCMCIA controller 214. Controllers are providedcommercially by a number of vendors. The controller 214 is programmed tocarry out the functions of the PCMCIA architecture, and responds tointernal and external stimuli. Controller 214 is coupled to the systembus 216. The system bus 216 is a set of electrical paths within a hostcomputer over which control signals, address signals, and data signalsare transmitted. The control signals are the basis for the protocolestablished to place data signals on the bus and to read data signalsfrom the bus. The address lines are controlled by various devices thatare connected to the bus and are utilized to refer to particular memorylocations or I/O locations. The data lines are used to pass actual datasignals between devices.

The PCMCIA bus 212 utilizes 26 address lines and 16 data lines.

Within the software 202 consideration, there are levels of softwareabstractions. The Socket Services 218 is the first level in the softwarearchitecture and is responsible for software abstraction of the PCMCIAsockets 206 and 210. In general, Socket Services 218 will be applicableto a particular controller 214. In general, Socket Services 218 uses aregister set (not shown) to pass arguments and return status. Wheninterrupts are processed with proper register settings, Socket Servicesgains control and attempts to perform functions specified at theApplication Program Interfaces (API).

Card Services 220 is the next level of abstraction defined by PCMCIA andprovides for PCMCIA system initialization, central resource managementfor PCMCIA, and APIs for Card configuration and client management. CardServices is event-driven and notifies clients of hardware events andresponds to client requests. Card Services 220 is also the manager ofresources available to PCMCIA clients and is responsible for managingdata and assignment of resources to a Card. Card Services assignsparticular resources to Cards on the condition that the Card InformationStructure (CIS) indicates that they are supported. Once resources areconfigured to a Card, the Card can be accessed as if it were a device inthe system. Card Services has an array of Application Program Interfacesto provide the various required functions.

Memory Technology Driver 1 (MTD) 222, Memory Technology Driver 2,labeled 224, and Memory Technology Driver N, labeled 226, are handlersdirectly responsible for reading and writing of specific memorytechnology memory Cards. These include standard drivers and speciallydesigned drivers if required.

Card Services 220 has a variety of clients such as File System Memoryclients 228 that deal with file system aware structures; Memory Clients230; Input/Output Clients 232; and Miscellaneous Clients 234.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the functional interrelationshipof a host computer and a Card used for programming hearing aids. A Host236 has an Operating System 238. A Program Memory 240 is available forstoring the hearing aid programming software. The PCMCIA block 242indicates that the Host 236 supports the PCMCIA architecture. A UserInput 244 provides input control to Host 236 for selecting hearing aidprogramming functions and providing data input to Host 236. A Display246 provides output representations for visual observation. In thehand-held host, the user input 244 and the display 246 are interactive,and function as the user interface. PCMCIA socket 248 cooperates withPCMCIA jack 250 mounted on Card 252.

On Card 252 there is a PCMCIA Interface 254 that is coupled to jack 250via lines 256, where lines 256 include circuits for providing power andground connections from Host 236, and circuits for providing addresssignals, data signals, and control signals. The PCMCIA Interface 254includes the Card Information Structure (CIS) that is utilized forproviding signals to Host 236 indicative of the nature of the Card andsetting configuration parameters. The CIS contains information and dataspecific to the Card, and the components of information in CIS iscomprised of tuples, where each tuple is a segment of data structurethat describes a specific aspect or configuration relative to the Card.It is this information that will determine whether the Card is to betreated as a standard serial data port, a standard memory card, a uniqueprogramming card or the like. The combination of tuples is a metaformat.

A microprocessor shown within dashed block 260 includes a Processor Unit262 that receives signals from PCMCIA Interface 254 over lines 264 andprovides signals to the Interface over lines 266. An onboard memorysystem 268 is provided for use in storing program instructions. In theembodiment of the circuit, the Memory 268 is a volatile static randomaccess memory (SRAM) unit of 1K capacity. A Nonvolatile Memory 270 isprovided. The Nonvolatile Memory is 0.5K and is utilized to storeinitialization instructions that are activated upon insertion of Card352 into socket 348. This initialization software is often referred toas “boot-strap” software in that the system is capable of pulling itselfup into operation. These memory types and sizes are illustrative and canbe selected from other commercially available memory types.

A second Memory System 272 is provided. This Memory is coupled toProcessor Unit 262 for storage of hearing aid programming softwareduring the hearing aid programming operation. In a preferred embodiment,Memory 272 is a volatile SRAM having a 32K capacity. During theinitialization phases, the programming software will be transmitted fromthe Program Memory 240 of Host 236 and downloaded through the PCMCIAinterface 254. In an alternative embodiment, Memory System 272 can be anonvolatile memory with the hearing aid programming software storedtherein. Such nonvolatile memory can be selected from available memorysystems such as Read Only Memory (ROM), Programmable Read Only Memory(PROM), Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), or ElectricallyErasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM). It is, of course,understood that Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) memory systemsnormally do not hold or retain data stored therein when power isremoved.

A Hearing Aid Interface 274 provides the selected signals over lines 274to the interface connector 276. The Interface receives signals on lines278 from the interface connector. In general, the Hearing Aid Interface274 functions under control of the Processor Unit 262 to select whichhearing aid will be programmed, and to provide the digital to analogselections, and to provide the programmed impedance levels.

A jack 280 couples with connector 276 and provides electrical connectionover lines 282 to jack 284 that couples to hearing aid 286. In a similarmanner, conductors 288 coupled to jack 290 for making electricalinterconnection with hearing aid 292.

Assuming that Socket Services 218, Card Services 220 and appropriatedrivers and handlers are appropriately loaded in the Host 236, thehearing aid programming system is initialized by insertion of Card 252into socket 248. The insertion processing involves application of powersignals first since they are connected with the longest pins. The nextlongest pins cause the data, address and various control signals to bemade. Finally, when the card detect pin is connected, there is a Cardstatus change interrupt. Once stabilized, Card Services queries thestatus of the PCMCIA slot through the Socket Services, and if the statehas changed, further processing continues. At this juncture, CardServices notifies the I/O clients which in turn issues direction to CardServices to read the Card's CIS. The CIS tuples are transmitted to CardServices and a determination is made as to the identification of theCard 252 and the configurations specified. Depending upon thecombination of tuples, that is, the metaformat, the Card 252 will beidentified to the Host 236 as a particular structure. In a preferredembodiment, Card 252 is identified as a serial memory port, therebyallowing Host 236 to treat with data transmissions to and from Card 252on that basis. It is, of course, understood that Card 252 could beconfigured as a serial data Card, a Memory Card or a unique programmingCard thereby altering the control and communication between Host 236 andCard 252.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of the hearing aid programmingCard.

The PCMCIA jack 250 is coupled to PCMCIA Interface 254 via PCMCIA bus256, and provides VCC power to the card via line 256-1. TheMicroprocessor 260 is coupled to the Program Memory 272 via theMicroprocessor Bus 260-1. A Reset Circuit 260-2 is coupled via line260-3 to Microprocessor 260 and functions to reset the Microprocessorwhen power falls below predetermined limits. A Crystal Oscillator 260-4is coupled to Microprocessor 260 via line 260-5 and provides apredetermined operational frequency signal for use by Microprocessor260.

The Hearing Aid Interface shown enclosed in dashed block 274 includes aDigital to Analog Converter 274-1 that is coupled to a Reference Voltage274-2 via line 274-3. In a preferred embodiment, the Reference Voltageis established at 2.5 volts DC. Digital to Analog Converter 274-1 iscoupled to Microprocessor Bus 260-1. The Digital to Analog Converterfunctions to produce four analog voltages under control of theprogramming established by the Microprocessor.

One of the four analog voltages is provided on Line 274-5 to amplifierAL, labeled 274-6, which functions to convert 0 to reference voltagelevels to 0 to 15 volt level signals. A second voltage is provided online 274-7 to amplifier AR, labeled 274-8, which provides a similarconversion of 0 volts to the reference voltage signals to 0 volts to 15volt signals. A third voltage is provided on line 274-9 to the amplifierBL, labeled 274-10, and on line 274-11 to amplifier BR, labeled 274-12.Amplifiers BL and BR convert 0 volt signals to reference voltage signalsto 0 volts to 15 volt signals and are used to supply power to thehearing aid being adjusted. In this regard, amplifier BL provides thevoltage signals on line 278-3 to the Left hearing aid, and amplifier BRprovides the selected voltage level signals on line 274-3 to the Righthearing aid.

An Analog Circuit Power Supply 274-13 provides predetermined powervoltage levels to all analog circuits.

A pair of input Comparators CL labeled 274-14 and CR labeled 274-15 areprovided to receive output signals from the respective hearing aids.Comparator CL receives input signals from the Left hearing aid via line278-4 and Comparator CR receives input signals from the Right hearingaid via line 274-4. The fourth analog voltage from Digital to AnalogConverter 274-1 is provided on line 274-16 to Comparators CL and CR.

A plurality of hearing aid programming circuit control lines pass fromMicroprocessor 260 and to the Microprocessor via lines 274-17. Theoutput signals provided by comparators CL and CR advise Microprocessor260 of parameters concerning the CL and CR hearing aids respectively.

A Variable Impedance A circuit and Variable Impedance B circuit 274-20each include a predetermined number of analog switches and a like numberof resistance elements. In a preferred embodiment, each of thesecircuits includes eight analog switches and eight resistors. The outputfrom amplifier AL is provided to Variable Impedance A via line 274-21and selection signals are provided via line 274-22. The combination ofthe voltage signal applied and the selection signals results in anoutput being provided to switch SW1 to provide the selected voltagelevel. In a similar manner, the output from Amplifier R is provided online 274-23 to Variable Impedance B 274-20, and with control signals online 274-24, results in the selected voltage signals being applied toswitch SW2.

Switches SW1 and SW2 are analog switches and are essentially single poledouble throw switches that are switched under control of signalsprovided on line 274-25. When the selection is to program the lefthearing aid, switch SW1 will be in the position shown and the outputsignals from Variable Impedance A will be provided on line 278-1 to LFhearing aid. At the same time, the output from Variable Impedance B274-20 will be provided through switch SW2 to line 278-2. When it isdetermined that the Right hearing aid is to be programmed, the controlsignals on line 274-25 will cause switches SW1 and SW2 to switch. Thiswill result in the signal from Variable Impedance A to be provided online 274-1, and the output from Variable Impedance B to be provided online 274-2 to the Right hearing aid.

With the circuit elements shown, the program that resides in ProgramMemory 272 in conjunction with the control of Microprocessor 260 willresult in application of data and control signals that will readinformation from Left and Right hearing aids, and will cause generationof the selection of application and the determination of levels ofanalog voltage signals that will be applied selectively the Left andRight hearing aids.

In another embodiment of the invention, a Portable Multiprogram Unit(PMU) (not shown) is adapted to store one or more hearing aid adjustingprograms for a patient or user to easily adjust or program hearing aidparameters. The programs reflect adjustments to hearing aid parametersfor various ambient hearing conditions. Once the PMU is programmed withthe downloaded hearing aid programs, the PMU utilizes a wirelesstransmission to the user's hearing aid permitting the selectivedownloading of a selected one of the hearing aid programs to thedigitally programmable hearing aids of a user.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating the functional relationship ofthe host computer, the Card used to program hearing aids, and theaudiometer Card used to analyze a patient's hearing responses. The hostcomputer 20 has a display 24 upon which various hearing responsewaveforms can be programmed for display. A hearing aid programmer systemreferenced generally as 300 includes the PCMCIA hearing aid programmer40, shown within broken away portion 302 of the host 20. The PCMCIA Card40 has cable connections 70 and 72 to hearing aids 64 and 66,respectively, as described above. An audiometer referenced generally as304 includes a PCMCIA audiometer Card 2′, shown installed within brokenaway portion 306 of the host 20. Connector 308 couples a bone conductorheadset 310 via line 312 to the PCMCIA Card 306. A set of air conductionhead phones 314 has a left speaker 316 coupled to line 318, and aspeaker 320 coupled to line 322. Lines 318 and 322 are coupled viaconductor 324 to connector 308 and then to the PCMCIA Card 2. Anoperator monitor 326 is coupled via line 328 to connector 308. A speaker330 is coupled via line 332 to connector 308.

As will be described in more detail below, the analyzer 2 comprising anaudiometer operates under control of the host processor 20 to generateselected tones, narrow band, and speech broad band acoustic signals thatare transmitted to a patient whose hearing is being evaluated. Thetransmission to the patient is selectively accomplished through the boneconductor 310, the air conduction headphones 314, or the speaker system330 which can comprise one or more speakers arranged in a selectableconfiguration to adequately test the hearing response of the patient. Atthe same time, the hearing aid professional can monitor the selectedoutput signals to the patient via the monitor headset 326.

As responses are noted, the various hearing parameter responses arerecorded for entry in the host computer 20. Once the full range ofhearing responses is developed, the hearing aid programmer PCMCIA Card40 can be initiated to result in programming of hearing aids 64 and 66,in the manner described above. In an alternative configuration, thepatient response can be automatically entered via input device 334 alongline 336 to the audiometer. In this alternative arrangement, theresponse parameters are automatically passed from the audiometer to thehost 20 for use in determining the hearing aid programming parameters tobe utilized by the hearing aid programmer 40.

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram illustrating selective control andfunctional performance of an audiometer that functions as an audiometer.An audiometer presents a variety of stimuli under strict frequency,temporal and level control to persons for the purpose of testing theirhearing capability. Specifications for controlling these parameters areprovided in ANSI Standard S3.6. In general, the audiometer includesthree major sections, namely, a signal generation and selection portion;a signal shaping and control portion, including controlled signalattenuation, signal interruption, and signal pulsing; and a transducerselection portion.

Considering first the signal generation and selection functions, acontrolled oscillator section 340 is capable of generating pure tonewaves and frequency modulated pure tone waves. In this embodiment, theoscillator system 340 generates selectable sign waves at up to 11discrete octave and ½-octave audiometric test frequencies ranging from125 Hz to about 8,000 Hz for obtaining the pure tone audiograms. Theoscillator section 340 includes circuitry that can cause the sign wavesto exhibit “warble tones”. This warbling tone source is produced byfrequency modulation and is used for the purpose of breaking up standingwaves in the test room. Typical frequency modulation rates are about 5Hz with a frequency deviation of about 10%.

A noise generator system 342 is used for masking a better ear whiletesting a poorer ear. The noise generator 342 generates a white noiseinitially which is filtered into speech-spectrum noise. The white noisesignal is also filtered into narrow bands of noise centered at the 11discrete octave and one-half octave audiometric test frequencies for usein soundfield testing. Narrow band noise is typically about one-thirdoctave in bandwidth. Both types of noise are available to the hearingprofessional for different masking applications.

In addition to the oscillator section 340 and the noise generatorsection 342, live voice testing can be accomplished via microphone 344.

External inputs can be provided through external input A labeled 346 andexternal input B labeled 348. External signal sources (not shown) suchas tape recorders, CD players and the like may be utilized. The variousstimulus providers are coupled via line 350 to a stimulus selectorsection 352. This stimulus selector is under operator control and allowsthe operator to select from among the external signal sources, theoscillator section 340, the noise generator section 342, or the externalmicrophone 344. The output of the selective stimulus source is providedon line 354 to the signal modifying section 356 which includesattenuator circuits, stimulus interrupter circuits, and pulsar circuits.The attenuator circuits provide a calibrated amount of attenuation ofthe stimulus signals so as to ascertain the amount of hearing loss aperson has. Normally five dB steps are provided for zero dB to 100 dB,depending on frequency. Differing ranges of steps may be achieved at arelatively higher cost of production.

A stimulus interrupter circuit turns the selected stimulus off and onunder manual control with specific rise and fall times so as to notcreate spurious energy at frequencies other than the desired testfrequency.

A pulser circuit works automatically to turn the stimulus signals offand on with specific rise and fall times. Again, the purpose is tocontrol the stimulus pulser such as to not create spurious energy atfrequencies other than the desired test frequency. A typical repetitionrate would be on the order of about 0.5 second and duty cycle istypically 50%.

The shaped and controlled stimulus signals are provided on line 358 toan output transducer selection portion 360. It is the function of theoutput transducer selection portion to allow the operator to direct theselected output signals to the air conduction headphones 314, the boneconductor 310, or a loudspeaker system comprised, for example, ofspeakers 330L and 330R. As mentioned above, more speakers can beutilized as might be necessary. Each of the output transducer systems isutilized in a different diagnostic application in assessing thepatient's hearing capability.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a PCMCIA audiometer Card. It illustratesthe circuit interaction to achieve the functionality described withrespect to FIG. 9. The interrelationship of the host computer and theCard is similar to that described with respect to FIG. 6.

The PCMCIA audiometer Card has a PCMCIA interface 370 that is coupled tojack 372 via line 374, where lines 374 include circuits for providingpower and ground connections from the host, and circuits for providingaddress signals, data signals, and control signals back and forth fromthe PCMCIA Card to the host. Line 376 provides VCC power to the Card.The PCMCIA interface 370 includes the Card Information Structure (CIS)that is utilized for providing signals to the host computer indicativeof the nature of the Card and setting the configuration parameters. TheCIS contains information and data specific to the Card, and theappropriate couples comprising components of information in the CIS. Amicroprocessor 378 includes a processor portion that receives signalsfrom the PCMCIA interface 370 via lines 380 and provides signals to theinterface over lines 380. An on-board memory system (not shown) isprovided for storing bootstrap instructions that are utilized forinitializing the microprocessor operation upon startup, and for storinginformation that may be downloaded from the host computer. A memorysystem 382 is coupled via line 384 to the microprocessor 378 and theinterface 370. The memory system is utilized for storing softwaretransmitted from the host and for storing data indicative of the soundparameters being administered.

A reset circuit 386 is coupled via line 388 to the microprocessor and isutilized for initializing the microprocessor.

An oscillator section 390 is coupled via line 392 to the microprocessor378 and is utilized for providing timing functions to the circuits ofthe microprocessor.

Circuit component selection can be as described above with regard toFIG. 6.

The initialization and setup of the microprocessor 378 and the memorysystem 382 is accomplished upon insertion of the PCMCIA Card in theappropriate PCMCIA socket, in a manner similar to that described above.

Once inserted and initialized, microprocessor 378 provides controlsignals on line 394 that operates to provide selection signals on line396 to control the operation of the audio control circuits 398, and online 400 to control the functionality of the tone control circuits 402.The audio control section 398 includes noise generator circuits 404 thatprovide white noise output signals on line 406 to the narrow band noisesignal source circuits 408 and on line 410 to the speech spectrum noisesignal source 412. The frequency ranges are selectable by parametersprovided by the microprocessor 378.

The tone control section 402 includes a controllable oscillator circuit414 and functions to provide signals on line 416 to the pure tone signalsource circuits 418, and on line 420 to the frequency modulated (FM)pure tone signal source 422. The tone control section 402 operates undercontrol of the microprocessor 378 to generate the selected frequenciesand modulations for the hearing test specified. This reflects selectionsmade at the host computer and downloaded to the audiometer PCMCIA Card.

The stimulus selector control 352 is controlled by the microprocessor378 providing control signals on line 424, and operates to select fromamong the various sources of stimulus available for the system. Thesesources of stimulus signals are from the narrow band noise signal sourcevia line 426; from the speech spectrum noise signal source via line 428;from the pure tone signal source via line 430; from the FM pure tonesignal source via line 432; from the external microphone 344 via line434; from external source A via line 436; and from external source B vialine 438.

The selected stimulus signals provided by the stimulus selector control352 are selectively provided on line 440 to the attenuator circuits 442,on line 444 to the interrupter circuits 446, or on line 448 to thepulser circuits 450. The stimulus selector control circuits 352 providecontrol signals on line 354 to the output transducer selector circuits360 forming a portion of the control of selection of the appropriateoutput transducers to be utilized during the testing process.Microprocessor 378 provides control signals on line 452 to form a partof the output transducer selection.

The stimulus signals are provided from the attenuator circuits 442 online 454, from interrupter circuits 446 on line 456, and from pulsercircuits 450 on line 458 to the output transducer selector circuits 360.

The output transducer selector circuits 360 operate to select from amongthe various shaped stimulus pulses available and to direct them to theappropriate output transducers. The output stimulus signals can beprovided to a monitor 326 via line 460. If the bone conductor 310 isselected, output signals are provided on line 462 thereto. If the airconduction headphones 314 are selected, the signals to the left andright ears are provided on lines 464 and 466, respectively. When thesoundfield speakers 330L and 330R are selected, the selected outputsignals are passed through amplifiers 468 and 470 to lines 472 and 474,respectively, for driving the speakers. To record various parametersresulting from the audiometer testing, a input device 334 can provideselected signals on line 476 to an audiometer feedback circuit 478. Theaudiometer feedback circuit 478 operates under control of themicroprocessor 378 through control signals provided on line 480. Themicroprocessor 378 is programmed to cause the audiometer feedback 478 toprovide signals on line 482 to the microprocessor. These feedbacksignals are either passed directly by the microprocessor 378 back to thehost, or are stored temporarily in the memory system 382 for uploadingto the host at various intervals in the hearing testing process.

It can be seen, then, that the audiometer PCMCIA Card functions undercontrol of the host to provide selected ones of a number of availablesound sources for testing different parameters of a patient's hearingresponse. The results of the hearing test can be fed back to the hosteither for use in forming displays at the host for allowing the hearingprofessional to select hearing aid programming parameters to be appliedvia the hearing aid programmer, or for interactively adjusting thehearing aid programming parameters automatically.

FIG. 12 is a function block diagram illustrating selective control andfunctional performance of a real-ear hearing-related analyzer. A PCMCIAreal-ear analyzer system 500 is made up of a PCMCIA real-ear analzyerCard 2″, an output speaker system 502 coupled via line 504 to jack 506,and a probe microphone 508 coupled via line 510 to jack 506. The PCMCIAreal-ear analyzer Card 2″ is shown within broken away portion 512 ofhost computer 20. A single speaker 502 is shown, but it is understoodthat multiple speakers may be utilized for positioning at variouslocations around the patient whose hearing is being analyzed.

As shown, the real ear system 500 has the probe microphone with a longtube 514 mounted at the distal end of probe microphone 508. Asillustrated, the long tube 14 is positioned within the ear canal of ear516. The probe microphone 508 is utilized to pick up the sound pressuresproduced in the ear canal of the patient in response to various soundconditions being administered to the patient. The testing of the patientcan be accomplished without any aid to the hearing of the patient. Thisis identified as real-ear unaided response (REUR). Another testingprocess can be utilized in measuring the hearing response of the patientwith the ear canal occluded. This is referred to as the real-earoccluded response (REOR). Yet another set of test parameters that can betaken is the real-ear saturation response, referred to as the RESR. Afourth test that can be accomplished is the real-ear insertion gainfrequency response (REIR). Finally, the patient can be analyzed with ahearing aid in place, such as hearing aid 518, and is identified as thereal-ear aided response (REAR).

The real-ear system records the output measured by the probe microphone508 in the ear canal.

The system can be monitored by the hearing care professional through amonitor headset 520 that is coupled via line 522 to connector 506.

The real-ear system 500 can provide feedback directly to the PCMCIAreal-ear analyzer via an input device 524 that provides feedback signalson line 526 to connector 506. The information thus fed back can eitherbe provided to the host computer 20 for display on display 24, or can beused for modifying hearing aid programming parameters on an interactivebasis. When the hearing aid parameters are automatically adjusted byhost computer 20, the PCMCIA hearing aid programmer 40 can have itshearing aid programming signals appropriately modified such that hearingaids 64 and 66 can have their respective programming adjusted to reflectthe results of the real-ear analysis.

FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram illustrating selective control andfunctional performance of a real-ear hearing-related analyzer. Areal-ear system records the sound levels occurring within the ear canalof a patient under various unaided, modified, or aided hearingconditions. With a hearing aid in place, the real-ear system records theoutput of the hearing aid in the wearer's ear canal utilizing the probetube 514 of the probe microphone 508. The main components of a real-earsystem are the stimulus generators comprising a noise generator 530 andan oscillator section 532, the stimulus controls 534, the outputamplifier 536, the loudspeaker system 502, the probe microphone 508, areference microphone 538, and a frequency analyzer system 540.

The noise generator section 530 provides narrow-band noise and speechspectrum (broad-band) pseudo-random or random noise signals. The narrowband noise signals is typically generated at about one-third octave inband width. The pseudo-random and random noise signals generally includea long-term speech spectral shape.

The controlled oscillator section 532 generates swept sign waves andnarrow band noises produced over a frequency range of at least 200 Hz to6,000 Hz.

The controlled stimulus signals are provided from the noise generator530 on line 542, and from the controlled oscillator section 532 on line544 to the stimulus control section 534.

The stimulus control section 534 selects the desired stimulus signals,the input level, and the frequency range, if applicable, desired by thehealth care professional. The stimulus control section 534 provides theselected input stimulus signal on line 546 to amplifier 536 for drivingthe speaker system 502.

The probe microphone 508 monitors the output signal level versusfrequency that is produced in the wearer's ear canal, and when the testis for aided response, measures the output produced by the wearer'shearing aid.

The reference microphone 538 monitors the level of test stimulus at areference location. Its purpose is to control the level of the spectrumof the input stimulus to desired shape. The shape of the input signalmay be flat or is shaped to a long-term speech spectrum. The output ofthe referenced microphone 538 is provided on line 548 to the frequencyanalyzer 540.

The frequency analyzer 540 displays the output of the probe microphone508 versus frequency and acoustic gained or acoustic output soundpressure levels (SPL). The frequency analyzer 540 can be eitheranalog-based or digitally-based, and functions to display the outputfrom the probe microphone 508 in comparison to a predicted oranticipated frequency response.

To create a record of the analysis, a printer 550 is driven by line 552.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of PCMCIA real-ear Card. The real-ear Cardhas a jack 500 for plugging into a PCMCIA slot in a host computer, andprovides VCC power on line 502 to the Card. A PCMCIA interface 504, withthe CIS and the host interface, provide card identifying information tothe host computer via line 506 and receive signals from the hostcomputer via line 506. A microprocessor 508 is coupled to reset circuit510 and to oscillator 512 as described above. A memory system 514communicates via line 516 with the interconnection 518 between interface504 and microprocessor 508.

The microprocesor 508 controls the functioning of the real-ear analyzersystem and provides control signals on line 520 to the audio controlsection 522, and on line 524 to the tone control section 526. The audiocontrol section 522 includes noise generator circuits 528, and the tonecontrol section 526 includes controlled oscillator circuits 530.

The audio control section generates signals on line 532 for controllingthe narrow-band noise signal source 534 and, on line 536 to control thespeech spectrum noise signal source.

The tone control section 526 provides the swept sign waves on line 540to the pure tone signal source 542 and on line 544 to the FM pure tonesignal source 546.

The stimulus control section 534 is controlled by microprocessor 508with signals received on line 548, to select the appropriate inputsignals. The input signals are provided on line 550 from the narrow-bandsignal source 534, on line 552 from the speech spectrum noise signalsource 538, on line 554 from the pure tone signal source 542, and online 556 from the FM pure tone signal source 546. The stimulus selectorcontrol 534 selectively provides output signals on line 558 to theattenuator circuits 560, on line 562 to the interrupter circuits 564, oron line 566 to the pulser circuit 568.

The microprocessor 508 provides control signals on line 570 to theoutput control circuits 572 for appropriately selecting the stimulussignal to be applied to speaker system 502. Attenuator circuits 560provide signals on line 574, interruptor circuits 564 provide signals online 576, and pulser circuit 568 provides signals on line 578 to theoutput control circuit 572.

In response to the various selectable stimulus signals, probe microphone508 provides sensed real-ear response signals on line 510. These signalsare provided on line 580 to the real-ear response circuits 582. Thereal-ear response circuits 582 operate under control of control signalsprovided on line 584 from the microprocessor 508, to feed back selectedsignals via line 586 to the microprocessor. The microprocessor 508either directly transmits the real-ear response parameters through theinterface 504 to the host computer, or temporarily stores the responsesin the memory system 514 for later uploading to the host computer.

The frequency analysis shown in FIG. 12 as frequency analyzer 540 isaccomplished in the host computer (not shown in FIG. 13) where theresponse parameters are displayed on the host computer's display incorrelation to predicted or reference wave shapes. In this manner, thereal-ear system can assess the efficacy of aided hearing response andcan interactively adjust hearing aid programming parameters to beapplied by the host computer through the hearing aid programmer PCMCIACard 40.

A printer control section 590 receives control signals frommicroprocessor 508 on line 592, and receives real-ear response datasignals on line 594. The parameters to be recorded are provided on line596, and thence to line 552 for printing by printer 550.

The reference microphone 538 provides reference signals on line 598 tothe real-ear response circuits 582 for use in the analysis of thereal-ear response from the probe microphone 508.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a PCMCIA Card including a hearing-relatedanalyzer having selective audiometer and real-ear functions. In thisconfiguration, the individual functions of the audiometer PCMCIA Carddescribed in FIG. 10 and the functionality of the real-ear analyzerdescribed with regard to FIG. 13 are combined on a single PCMCIA Card.In this configuration, a microprocessor 600 provides control signals online 602 to a control section 604 that functions to selectively drivethe analyzer selector 606 via control lines 608. The analyzer selectorprovides control signals on line 610 to the audiometer controls 612 andon line 614 to the real-ear controls 616. The control section 604provides control signals on lines 618 and 620 to the audiometer control612 and the real-ear control 616 respectively. The audiometer controls612 provide control signals on line 622 to the selectable audio sources624 and on line 626 to the selectable tone sources 628. The real-earcontrol 616 provides control signals on line 630 to the selectable audiosources 624 and on line 632 to the selectable tone sources 628. Thesecontrols function to select the appropriate controlled oscillator tonesources and noise generator signal sources as described above. Theselectable tone sources are applied to the real-ear stimulus controls634 and the audiometer circuits 636 respectively. Similarly, theselectable audio sources signals are provided to the audiometer circuits636 and the real-ear stimulus control 634.

The real-ear stimulus control 634 drives amplifier system 638 and candrive one or more speakers as described above.

The audiometer circuit 636 provides signals on line 640 to the outputtransducer selector 642. The audiometer controls circuit 612 providecontrol signals on line 642 and the control section 604 provides controlsignals on line 644 to control the application of the selected stimulussignals to the various output terminals, as described above. An inputdevice 646 is available to provide feedback signals on line 648 to thefeedback control section 650. This feedback control section 650 operatesunder control of control signals received on line 652, the output fromthe output transducer selector 644 provided on line 654, and the inputdevice input provided on line 648 to provide feedback data on line 656to the microprocessor 600. The feedback signals can be indicative ofvarious control parameters entered at the input device 646 and availableto transmit to the host computer for use interactively in adjusting theprogramming parameters to be applied to the hearing aids to beprogrammed.

A real-ear response section 658 receives control signals on line 660from control section 604, and input signals from a reference microphoneon line 662, and from the probe microphone on line 664. The real earresponse circuit 658 provides selected output signals on line 666 to themicroprocessor 600 for transmission to the host computer eitherdirectly, or after temporary storage in the memory system 668, all asdescribed above.

From the foregoing considerations, then, it can be seen that a uniquePCMCIA Card for an audiometer can be provided for an audiometer system,as described with regard to FIG. 10, to provide a real-ear response andhearing analysis as described with respect to FIG. 13, or theinteractive combined audiometer combining both the audiometer hearinganalysis capability and the real-ear hearing response analysis.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of an expanded portable hearing-relatedanalyzer PCMCIA Card. As described above, a basic PCMCIA Card has aPCMCIA jack portion 680 and a length L that approximates the depth ofthe PCMCIA slot. For those PCMCIA Cards that require additional area tomount components, an additional length L′ can be provided. Theadditional length L′ can be of the same width as the basic PCMCIA CardTypes, can be lesser in width, or can be greater in width, since thisdimension of the PCMCIA Card would be outside the body of the hostcomputer. As illustrated, the basic portion 682 of the PCMCIA Card isphysically extended into a second portion 684 for the expansion.Connector 686 is utilized to connect to the various input/outputsystems.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a portable hearing-related analyzer cableconnected to an associated PCMCIA interface Card. In this configuration,the host computer 20 has the PCMCIA hearing aid programming Card 40coupled to the hearing aids 688 to be programmed. The hearing-relatedanalyzer PCMCIA Card 690 is shown with a cable connection 692 to ahearing-related analyzer 694. In this configuration, the circuitryincluded on the audiometer PCMCIA Card 690 would include the PCMCIAinterface, microprocessor, and memory system (not shown) describedabove. For those situations where the hearing-related analyzer 694 wouldrequire more structural capacity than could be provided on an expandedPCMCIA Card, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, a freestanding portabledevice could be assembled to provide the functionality described withregard to FIG. 10, FIG. 13 and FIG. 14. With a cable connectedhearing-related analyzer 694 as shown, input devices 696 would providesignals via cable 698 to the audiometer. The hearing-related analyzer694 would provide signals on cable 700 to the selected output devices702, substantially as described above.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that the various stated purposes andobjectives of the invention have been satisfied. A highly portablehearing-related analyzer system coupled to a host computer through thePCMCIA ports of the host processor have been described. It is, ofcourse, understood that various modifications, additions, or deletionscan be made without departing from the scope and intent of theinvention. Further, various selections of components can be utilized toimplement the various features of the invention.

It will be understood that this disclosure, in many respects, is onlyillustrative. Changes can be made in details, particularly in matters ofshape, size, material and arrangement of parts without exceeding thescope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is asdefined in the language of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for analyzing hearing-related functionin humans comprising: a host processor having first and second personalcomputer memory card international association (PCMCIA) defined ports,said host processor including a memory system to store hearing aidprogramming instructions and hearing analysis instructions; a firstPCMCIA Card coupled to said first PCMCIA defined port, said first PCMCIACard including first circuits interacting with said host processor todownload said hearing aid programming instructions, and said firstPCMCIA Card including a first processor system coupled to said firstcircuits to execute said hearing aid programming instructions; a secondPCMCIA Card coupled to said second PCMCIA defined port, said secondPCMCIA Card being separate from said first PCMCIA card, said secondPCMCIA Card including second circuits interactive with said hostprocessor to download said hearing-related analyzing instructions, andsaid second PCMCIA Card including a second processor system coupled tosaid second circuits to execute said hearing-related analyzinginstructions.
 2. A system as in claim 1, wherein said first PCMCIA Cardfarther includes a first output circuit coupled to said first processorsystem to provide selected hearing aid program signals to one or morehearing aids to be programmed.
 3. A system as in claim 2, wherein saidsecond PCMCIA Card further includes: a plurality of selectable audiosignal sources; first control circuits coupled to said plurality ofselectable audio signal sources and coupled to said second processorsystem to select one of said plurality of selectable audio signalsources in response to predetermined ones of said hearing-relatedanalyzing instructions; and a second output circuit coupled to saidsecond processor system, to said first control circuits, and to saidplurality of selectable audio signal sources to provide selected audiosignals.
 4. A system as in claim 3, and further including incombination: an audio signal device coupled to said second outputcircuit to apply said selected audio signals to a person whose hearingis to be tested.
 5. A system as in claim 4, wherein said second PCMCIACard further includes: a feedback circuit having an input section toreceive feedback signals and an output section; and a feedback controlcircuit coupled to said output section and coupled to said secondprocessor system to control transmission of said feedback signals tosaid host processor.
 6. A system as in claim 5, and further including incombination: a feedback device coupled to said input section, saidfeedback device including selection devices operable to feedback hearinganalysis signals indicative of hearing responses resulting from theselected ones of said selected audio signals.
 7. A system for analyzinghearing-related functions in humans comprising: a host processor havingat least one computer memory card international association (PCMCIA)defined port, said host processor including a memory system to storehearing analyzing programs and to store hearing parameters for apatient; a PCMCIA Card coupled to said PCMCIA defined port, said PCMCIACard including a PCMCIA interface circuit, a control processor coupledto said PCMCIA interface circuit, said control processor to provideselected control signals and to receive feedback signals to be providedto said host processor, and an external communication link; and ahearing-related analyzer coupled to said external communication link,said hearing-related analyzer including first circuits to provideselected testing signals to a patient in response to said selectedcontrol signals, and said hearing-related analyzer including secondcircuits to receive feedback signals from the patient, said feedbacksignals to be transmitted over said external communication link to saidcontrol processor.
 8. The system according to claim 1, wherein thesecond processing system includes an audiometer providing selectedoutput signals to a patient in response to said hearing-relatedanalyzing instructions and providing feedback signals in response topatient feedback from said selected output signals.
 9. The systemaccording to claim 8, wherein the audiometer includes: stimulus unitcoupled to one of said host processor and said second processor system,said stimulus means providing selected hearing stimulus signals inresponse to control signals from said host processor or said secondprocessor system; an output unit providing said selected hearingstimulus signals to a patient; and feedback unit for providing feedbacksignals indicative of hearing response of the patient to said selectedhearing stimulus signals.
 10. The system according to claim 9, whereinsaid stimulus unit includes: audio signal means for providing selectableaudio signals; tone signal means for providing selectable tone signals;audio control means for selecting the desired ones of said selectableaudio signals; tone control means for selecting the desired ones of saidselectable tone signals; and stimulus control means for shaping andattenuating the selected ones of said audio signals and said tonesignals in response to said control signals and for selecting a type ofoutput from the output unit.
 11. The hearing analyzing system accordingto claim 10, wherein said output unit includes transducer meansexternally coupled to said stimulus control means for providing saidselected hearing stimulus signals.
 12. The hearing analyzing systemaccording to claim 1, wherein said first PCMCIA Card includes cardinformation structure providing predetermined card identificationsignals to said host processor.
 13. The hearing analyzing systemaccording to claim 1, wherein said second PCMCIA Card includes cardinformation structure providing predetermined card identificationsignals to said host processor.
 14. A system for analyzinghearing-related function in humans comprising: a host processor having amemory system and first and second card ports; a first computer cardcoupled to said first port, said first computer card including a firstmemory containing hearing aid programming instructions and firstcircuits interacting with said host processor, and said first computercard including a first processor system coupled to said first circuitsto execute said hearing aid programming instructions; a second computercard coupled to said second card port, said second computer card beingseparate from said first computer card, said second computer cardincluding a second memory containing hearing-analyzing instructions andsecond circuits interactive with said host processor, and said secondcomputer card including a second processor system coupled to said secondcircuits to execute said hearing-related analyzing instructions.
 15. Thesystem according to claim 14, wherein said hearing aid programminginstructions of said first computer card program a first type of hearingaid, if a second type of hearing aid is present said first computer cardis removed and a third computer card is coupled to said first port, saidthird computer card including a third memory containing second hearingaid programming instructions for a second type of hearing aid and thirdcircuits interacting with said host processor, and further including athird processor system coupled to said third circuits to execute saidsecond hearing aid programming instructions.
 16. The system according toclaim 15, wherein at least one of said first and second computer cardsare PCMCIA type cards.
 17. The system according co claim 14, whereinsaid host processor system includes a housing and both said first andsecond ports open through said housing, said first and second computercards being insertable and replaceable from outside said housing. 18.The system according to claim 14, wherein said host processor powerssaid first and second computer cards.
 19. The system according to claim14, wherein said second computer card includes an audiometer analyzerwhich is connected to an input device for selecting a test signal sentto a patient and an output device for transmitting the test signal tothe patient.
 20. The system according to claim 14, wherein said firstcomputer card includes circuitry for communicating programminginstructions to a hearing aid.